Cranberry orange pecan coffee cake sounded like the perfect Christmas treat! I made this on Christmas Eve and it was perfect with coffee on Christmas morning.
The great thing about this recipe is that it makes TWO loaves. One for me and one to wrap up and give to Vince’s grandma for Christmas. This loaf was perfect…not too sweet, with a nutty crunch, and the perfect amount of orange and cranberry in every bite.
The pecan crumble topping was the perfect touch!
Voila!
Cranberry Orange Pecan Coffee Cake
Recipe from Joy the Baker
Makes two 9×5-inch loaves
Ingredients
For the Cake:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 /2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into medium chunks
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cranberries
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
For the Topping:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Directions:
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9×5-inch loaf pans. Line loaf pans with parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on each side. Grease the parchment paper and dust with flour on all sides. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add chunks of butter and work the butter into the flour with your fingers. Try to blend the butter into each bit of the dry ingredients. The mixture will resemble a coarse meal.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract.
4. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir together to incorporate. Add the cranberries and pecans and carefully fold into the batter.
5. To make the topping, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly.
6. Divide the batter between the two loaf pans. Sprinkle each loaf with topping. Bake until loaves are golden brown and the center is cooked through. Insert a skewer or toothpick into the center of the cake to ensure that it’s cooked through, about 50 to 60 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Use the parchment paper to life the loaves from the pan and allow to cool further on a wire rack.
8. For the glaze I whisked together 1 cup of powdered sugar and just over a tablespoon of milk. Drizzle over the cooled coffee cake. (I skipped this step and left the loaves as-is with the crumble topping)
Cake can be stored, well wrapped at room temperature, for up to 5 days.
Made with Love, Linda
Linda in the Kitchen 